The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications and more particularly to a method and apparatus for transmitting Dual Tone Multi-frequency (DTMF) signals to an automated system responsive to touch-tone control thereof by using a speech-based user interface.
The use of automated DTMF (i.e., touch-tone) controlled systems is now common throughout much of the industrialized world and still increasing. Such systems are employed for a variety of reasons, including to provide greater convenience to users (e.g., automated after hours services) and to reduce the need for human telephone operators. For example, some mail order companies with limited customer service hours use an automated after-hours system that allows a customer to check on the status of an order 24 hours a day. The customer navigates the automated system by pressing keys on the phone keypad to send DTMF commands in response to a recorded menu of options. However, many telephones of both traditional wireline and the wireless variety (i.e., cordless, cellular, PCS, or satellite) provide the keypad within the handset, thereby making it very inconvenient for the user to send DTMF commands while listening for responses from the automated system. To press a key, the user has to remove the phone from his or her ear to look at the keypad and then return the phone to the ear again to hear the next prompt. During a call in which a number of such commands must be sent to an automated system the user must repeat this back and forth motion frequently.
Advances in speech recognition technology over the years have made possible some improvements in the way users submit commands to automated DTMF-controlled systems. For example, some automated DTMF-controlled systems themselves allow the user to speak commands instead of pressing keys on the keypad. In such systems, the user is told, xe2x80x9cPress or say xe2x80x989xe2x80x99,xe2x80x9d for example. Another approach is to provide an intermediate server in the network between the user and the automated response system to convert spoken commands to DTMF signals, which are then relayed to the automated response system. One disadvantage of this approach, however, is that the user must first call the intermediate server, which in turn calls the desired automated DTMF-controlled system. Sometimes the user does not know a priori whether or not a commercial entity has an automated DTMF-controlled system. Also, users may not want to go through the extra time and steps of dialing an intermediate speech-to-DTMF server.
Another manner in which speech recognition technology is used to facilitate the sending of DTMF commands is in voice dialing, a method in which a user may dial a telephone number by speaking the number instead of pressing keys on a keypad. In some implementations this capability even extends to simple spoken labels that represent a number such as xe2x80x9chomexe2x80x9d to represent user""s home telephone number. This capability may be implemented in either the local terminal or in the network. Once dialing is complete, however, the speech recognition function is turned off, and the speech-to-DTMF capability is not available to the user during a call for use with automated systems responsive to touch-tone control.
It is a first object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a speech-based user interface for transmitting DTMF signals during a telephone call to automated systems that can be controlled by DTMF signals. A second object of the invention is to provide such a speech-based user interface without requiring the user to have a priori knowledge of the automated DTMF-controlled system and without the user having to access an intermediate server in the network to access the speech-to-DTMF conversion capability. A third object is to provide the user with simple control over the speech recognition aspect of the invention. Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide the user with the capability of transmitting multiple DTMF commands with a single activation of the speech recognition circuit.
The invention satisfies these objects by providing a telephone apparatus and associated method. The apparatus comprises a microphone for receiving spoken utterances from a user, a speech recognition circuit, and a DTMF signal generator. When the user speaks an utterance corresponding to a DTMF command that the user wants to transmit over a communication network, the speech recognition circuit analyzes the spoken utterance to determine whether or not it matches one of a predetermined set of DTMF commands. If so, the DTMF signal generator outputs the corresponding DTMF signal for transmission over the communication network.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the speech recognition circuit is activated by a push button switch located on the telephone. In another alternative embodiment, the speech recognition circuit responds to a predetermined activation utterance from the user by activating the conversion and transmission of spoken DTMF commands. In yet another embodiment, the user receives confirmation of recognized words via speech synthesis and has the opportunity to cancel the transmission of an incorrect DTMF command.
These and other objects of the invention, together with features and advantages therefore, will become apparent from the following detailed specification when read with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements.